Show Me the Rally Monkey contest winners

<strong>Show Me the Rally Monkey<br> <br> WINNERS ANNOUNCED! </strong> <br> Angels Strike Force has selected the entry of Joanne Charles of Irvine as the winner of the grand prize in the &#8220;Show Me the Rally Monkey Contest.&#8221; Cheryl Rygg took second and five honorable mentions were selected. </strong>Check out the winners and the best of the rest.</strong> PHOTO COURTESY ANGELS BASEBALL, TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/THE REGISTER

The Angels Strike Force has selected its favorite two photos from the "Show Me the Rally Monkey" photo contest:

Grand Prize Winner — Joanne Charles of Irvine submitted a photo of a Rally Monkey with a broom and Texas Rangers dustpan. She wins four tickets to the Tuesday, Sept. 27 game between the Texas Rangers and the Angels at Angel Stadium PLUS a baseball autographed by her favorite Angels player, Torii Hunter.

Second Prize Winner — Cheryl Rygg of Long Beach entered a photo of a Rally Monkey having storytime with a group of bears, each donning T-shirts from other MLB teams. She wins two tickets to the Sept. 27 Rangers-Angels game.

Check out the photos of the winners, several honorable mentions and the best of the rest.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Angels Strike Force has selected the entry of Joanne Charles of Irvine as the winner of the grand prize in the “Show Me the Rally Monkey Contest.” Cheryl Rygg took second and five honorable mentions were selected. Check out the winners and the best of the rest. PHOTO COURTESY ANGELS BASEBALL, TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/THE REGISTERShow Me the Rally Monkey

GRAND PRIZE WINNER This Angels fan names Rally Monkey fan and Angels All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter as her favorite player. He's “a great ambassador for the Angels and baseball,” she says. As the contest's grand prize winner, Charles will receiver four tickets to the Sept. 27 Texas Rangers-Angels game and a Hunter autographed baseball. Submitted by: Joanne Charles, Irvine

SECOND PRIZE WINNER Cheryl Rygg of Long Beach has "Storytime," with a Rally Monkey reading to a gathering of bears donning T-shirts from other big-league teams. This is a great read from the fan who – “of course!!!” she says – names the final out in Game 7 of the 2002 Angels World Series championship as her favorite moment. As the second prize winner, Rygg receives tow tickets to the Rangers-Angels game of Sept. 27. Submitted by: Cheryl Rygg, Long Beach

HONORABLE MENTION Ruby is a Rally Bulldog who likes to snuggle with the Rally Monkey this family named “Vladi” in tribute to former Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero. (“We might have to rename him Torii,” writes Casey Comeau.) Submitted by: Casey and Andrew Comeau, Irvine

HONORABLE MENTION Ryan Wilson, 4, of Bakersfield, joins his family for four to five Angels game a year. Their favorite moment was watching rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo hit a grand slam in the first inning of the Sept. 3 game. Submitted by: Chris Wilson, Bakersfield

Brooke Muncy, 4, has been raised an Angels fan and latched onto the team immediately. When she heard about the contest from her father, Brandon, originally from Garden Grove, and knew she needed to get all her “Rally Monkey stuff” together, she came up with this. Her father says, her favorite player is Bobby Abreu, “though she'd probably most easily recognize Scioscia on the street. (though, honestly, she gets Abreu and Santana confused. "Abreu's pitching tonight?" she'll say. Oh well!).” Submitted by: Brandon Muncy, Bodfish

HONORABLE MENTION Jack Yeager, 6, of San Clemente, sprinted around Angel Stadium during “Kids Run the Bases” after a Sunday ballgame. His favorite Angels moment came when he ran the bases with his buddy, Rally Monkey, for the first time. Submitted by: Amy Yeager, San Clemente

Favorite Angels moment: “I was watching the game on September 13, 2008, versus the Seattle Mariners I couldn't help but realize Francisco Rodriguez was ever so close to breaking the all-time saves record set by Bobby Thigpen of the White Sox in 1990. As Raul Ibanez came up to bat, I was wearing my Rally Monkey costume, jumping up and down with excitement, cheering for Francisco to strike him out. Those strikes were more important than the win to me at that moment. So every time K-Rod threw a strike I was screaming with excitement, “YES!!!” Then that last strike came and I erupted in celebration, jumping up and down all over my living room, excited about yet another Angels victory, yes, but even more so for Francisco Rodriguez setting the saves record with 58.”

BEST OF THE REST Need Monkey? His favorite Angels moment is watching Darin Erstad catch the fly ball in center field for the third out and the Angels victory in the 2002 World Series. Submitted by: Brian Betz, Lake Forest

BEST OF THE REST Still life with Rally Monkeys? “My favorite moment has to be when they won the World Series. I've been a fan since I was about 15 years old when they won that.... WOW! The best feeling. Also I enjoy every Big Bang Friday night. The Angels know how to put on a great fireworks show. Gooooooooooo Angels!” Submitted by: Sharon L. Granillo, Laguna Hills

BEST OF THE REST Patch, the English Bulldog, has has the Rally Monkey on his side, too. Injured as a puppy in a fight with another dog, he was abandoned and had to have his eye removed and the socket sewn shut. Angels fan Matt Horvath rescue him and gave him a loving home where he can watch the Angels on TV. Submitted by: Matt Horvath, Tustin

BEST OF THE REST Diehard Angels fan Rob Rohm joins original Rally Monkeys in authentic Angel Stadium seats for “Rally time.” (The original Rally Monkeys – circa 2000 -- were just standard monkeys whose ears were tagged with what looked like keychains bearing the Angels logo during the Disney ownership and words "Rally Monkey."Favorite Angels moment: The 2002 postseason. Rohm writes: “I had purchased tickets after camping out with my Dad for potential World Series games in 1982 and 1986 but was left heartbroken. He had offered to take me to the ALCS or World Series, my choice, and both times I picked World Series. So when 2002 rolled around I made sure to attend every postseason game in Anaheim. I even took vacation time to watch the road games with friends on TV at my home. The picture you see isn't too far off from how things were when they were on the road and we were cheering them at my house. The 2002 World Series championship was won with a Game 7 victory on my daughter's seventh birthday. We went to church that morning to pray for a victory, and the priest even said at the end of mass, ‘Go out and do good and may the Angels win the World Series!' I think I cheered the loudest in the church.” Submitted by: Rob Rohm, Orange

BEST OF THE REST Leticia McKown of Riverside shows off her Angels room in her Riverside home decorated, of course, with several Rally Monkeys. Her favorite Angels moment was watching her brother snag a foul ball off the bat of Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick at Angel Stadium.Submitted by: Leticia McKown, Riverside

BEST OF THE REST This photo was at the New York Yankees-Angels game on June 3, 2011.Favorite Angels moment: Watching former Angels slugger Reggie Jackson hit his booming out-of-the-park home runs. “He would just stand and watch it go over the fence before even starting to run for first base! He did it every time,” recalled Claire and B. J. Hartman. Submitted by: Claire & B.J. Hartman, Mission Viejo

BEST OF THE REST This is the “Old-time Rally Monkey” from fan Estelle Collins who longs to go back in time all the way to … 2002, when the Angels won the World Series. Submitted by: Estelle Collins, Torrance

BEST OF THE REST The Davis family dedicated its entry in the 2002 Christmas Boat Parade to the Angels' World Series championship, forming an “A” with a lit halo and a Rally Monkey hanging from the mast. “We had lots of fun, and the crowds cheered and sang as we played the song, ‘Take Me out to the Ballgame,'” recalls the Davis family, who won the award for best original idea. Submitted by: Gary and Sara Davis, San Clemente

Favorite Angels moment: Angels fan Elle Collins says that her favorite Angels moments came when she attended her first playoff games in the 2009 ALDS and ALCS and got to watch the Angels beat the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees from the stands. Submitted by: Elle Collins, Lomita

BEST OF THE REST Shauna Way's boxer mix, Blue, is at her side when she's watching the Angels game on TV. Blue will be 7 on Sept. 24, but Shauna will miss the birthday celebration to be at the Angels game against Oakland. Submitted by: Shauna Way, Bellflower

BEST OF THE REST James Harris, 8, of Norwich, England, visited Angel Stadium for the third time when the Angels played host to Minnesota earlier this season. He believes the Rally Monkey who joined him in the stands inspired the four-run first inning that led to a 12-6 Angels victory. Submitted by: David Harris, England

BEST OF THE REST Edward Holderbaum's favorite Angels moment came on his birthday on Oct. 26, 2002, in Game 6 of the World Series, when the Angels came back from a five-run deficit and ended up winning to force Game 7 and ultimately win their first World Series title. “My mother and I sat on the couch with our eyes glued to the game while the rest of the family celebrated my birthday,” he says. “I will never forget that day and how excited we got when the Angels came back.”Submitted by: Edward Holderbaum, Lakewood

BEST OF THE REST Titus, the 5 ½ year old Labrador rescue, howls for the Angels.Favorite Angels moment:"It came a couple years back when Torii Hunter hit the walk off grand slam. My daughter and I went early. She was able to get Torii's signature on a hat and the game ticket, which also had his picture on it that game. As the Angels were losing, a lot of people had left, and we were able to move down, right behind the dugout. Bases loaded, and Torii hits a walk off grand slam. Great experience to be there!" Submitted by: Joanne and Bruce English, Anaheim

BEST OF THE REST These Rally Monkeys hang out in San Antonio, Texas, at the home of Ruth Posner. She's originally from California but has resided in San Antonio since 2007, rooting for the Angels from a distance. Her favorite Angels moment was watching The World Series at Downtown Disney “since I wasn't lucky enough to get tickets. When we won the place went nuts. We were all jumping up and down and screaming. Then I remember driving to my home in Anaheim, and the whole city was going nuts, honking their car horns. We were out in the street way into the night. Awesome memory!” she remembers. Submitted by: Ruth Posner, San Antonio

BEST OF THE REST “In 2008 we decided to take a cross country road trip from Los Angeles to New York to see old Yankee Stadium before it was torn down,'' says Angels fan Kerri Morales. “Originally we only planned to see one Angels-Yankees game, getting to New York and back as fast as possible so as not to miss too much work. Then we figured we should catch a Mets game since that stadium was also going the way of the Dodo bird. Then we realized we were passing quite a few more stadiums along the way and our fast cross-country dash turned into a month-long stadium tour. We caught the Angels twice in New York and twice in Boston. We saw John Lackey's almost-no-hitter in (Boston's) Fenway, the Angels' win off of Yankee closer Mariano Rivera in New York and then-Angel Mark Teixeira's grand slam in an eventual loss to the Yankees. Rally was with us every step of the way. We saw two minor league stadiums, seven major league stadiums – it would've been more if our car didn't break down on the way back -- and made a stop in Cooperstown to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.” Submitted by: Kerri Morales, Los Angeles

BEST OF THE REST This Rally Monkey has privileges. Says Bob Gardner, “He hangs on our bed post in the master. Basically, you could say he sleeps with my wife and me every night. He is very special, because you will notice that he is an original “Anaheim Angels” Rally Monkey.” Submitted by: Bob Gardner, Mission Viejo

BEST OF THE REST Hugh Ryono poses with the Rally Monkey after the final out in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series between the Angels and the San Francisco Giants.

“If you look closely at the Rally Monkey you'll notice that it has a small Mickey Mouse hat on. Since Disney owned the team back then, for an extra good luck boost, I added the mouse ears to the monkey. Turned out that the Angels needed all the good karma they could get that night and I'd like to think that my Mouseketeer Rally Monkey had a tiny bit to play in the come back. Needless to say that being at that game was my favorite Angels moment of all time!” Submitted by: Hugh Ryono, Fullerton

BEST OF THE REST This Rally Monkey has his game face on. “Okay, this may sound corny but every time we go to an Angels game is a great Angels moment. My husband is a workaholic and is constantly on his laptop or phone. When we go the Angels games he can not do that. We have had most of our greatest Family moments at an Angels game,” says Lisa Gonzalez. Submitted by: Lisa Gonzalez, Carlsbad

BEST OF THE REST Fletch, the late dog of the Lewis family, loved Rally Monkey.Angels memories: Darcy Lewis writes: “We have so many fun Angel memories over the years, but our favorite was from the game last Sunday! What a spectacular crowd and memorial for 9/11! Every time we see that enormous flag rolled out, we get choked up! That was a fun game too, even though the Angels lost. Every time they scored, our four-year old would yell out, "Wow! Was that another home run???" After trying to explain the difference between a home run and a run, he still called all the runs HOME RUNS!! Too cute!” .Submitted by: Darcy Lewis, Huntington Beach

BEST OF THE REST Graphic designer Jamie Bales made this sign and held it up during the 2009 postseason. This Angels fan's favorite moment – other than the 2002 World Series championship – was sweeping the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs in 2009.Submitted by: Jamie Bales, Huntington Beach

BEST OF THE REST This is the Home of the Rally Monkey … when the Angels are on the road.Favorite Angels moment: When her daughter caught a foul ball off Bobby Abreu's bat last season. Submitted by: Dorothy Jurado, Anaheim

“We travel in our RV in the summer and are devout Angel fans so the Monkey goes with us. Here, he is in Montana watching the game; it is the fifth inning and the Angels are ahead but he is watching closely to see if he will need to go to work and rally the team later on!” Submitted by: Jerre Glasgow and Stanley Wright, Dana Point

BEST OF THE REST “I have so many favorite memories with the Angels but I have to say my favorite was being at Game 7 of the 2002 World Series with my friends watching history,” says Gregory Brian. “That was my birthday, Christmas and every holiday in between!!!!” Submitted by: Gregory Brian, Corona del Mar

Favorite Angels moment: Jay Freeman got to the clinching game in the 1979 season late, in the eighth inning. “They let us in for free after the 8th inning back then. When (Angels pitcher Frank)Tanana got the last out, the ushers tried to stop us, but everyone jumped over the rail and onto the field, I nearly missed grabbing Bobby Grich's cap....We were heading to our first ever playoffs! I did get to save some infield dirt though,” he said. “ I had to endure many years as a Chevron Junior Angel to get to see them clinch, finally!”Submitted by: Jay Freeman, Corona

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